Keitany steps up for New York Marathon defence

Defending champion Mary Keitany (left) will lead Kenya’s elite athletes to the New York City Marathon on November 3.

Keitany, who edged out compatriot and Olympic champion Vivian

Cheruiyot to clinch her fourth crown in 2018, will be joined by men’s winner Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa.

 “I am very excited to return on November 3 to race for my fifth New York City Marathon title on my favourite course in the world,” Keitany said.

Four former champions – Kenya’s Mary Keitany, Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa, the USA’s Daniel Romanchuk, and Switzerland’s Manuela Schär – will return to New York.

Keitany will go for her fifth career title in New York, Schär will race for her third consecutive crown, and Desisa and Romanchuk will look to post back-to-back victories.

In 2018, Keitany became the second woman to win in New York in the open division four times, recording the second-fastest time in event history in 2:22:48.

It was her fourth win in five years and the only woman other than Grete Waitz to win the race four times.

Keitany is the women-only marathon world record-holder (2:17:01) and is a two-time winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors (WMM), having taken the series titles in 2012 and 2016.

Keitany will be challenged this year by 2019 Boston Marathon champion Worknesh Degefa, 2019 Tokyo Marathon champion Ruti Aga, 2019 United Airlines NYC Half champion Joyceline Jepkosgei, and 2018 Boston Marathon champion and two-time U.S. Olympian Des Linden. -ERICSON KIPRONO